Prep Wrestling: Up against a Hecox? There's sure to be a hip toss

Thursday

Jan 30, 2014 at 12:01 AM

By Jay TaftRockford Register Star

Most wrestlers know it's coming, but it doesn't usually matter when one of Harlem's Hecox brothers throws his hip toss.

It started with Sterling Hecox, who was a hip-toss specialist throughout his wrestling career. He placed second in state in 2010 for the Huskies, after taking fourth the year before, and he went on to wrestle in the Ivy League at Brown, where he's two semesters away from earning his Bachelor's degree.

Sage followed in his big-brother's footsteps with a strong youth career and a fourth-place finish at the IHSA state tourney last year as a junior. He is 28-2 headed into his final prep postseason, and his upper-body strength - more specifically, his throws - have carried him to wins, just as they did for Sterling.

Sterling and Sage say they've used some sort of throw in just about every high school victory they've earned.

Kailor, a junior, and Jenner, a sophomore, have also used the Hecox throwing style to work their way up, and both head into Saturday's NIC-10 tournament at Jefferson ranked in the top 10 in the state.

Cadence, a sixth-grader, has also used the hip toss for years in his father's youth program, called Hecox Team Benaiah.

Hip tosses have become synonymous with the Hecox name in NIC-10 wrestling.

"It's just the first thing we learn," Sterling said during his senior year at Harlem. "We can do them just like we're getting out of bed. And everybody out there knows it, too."

Yet, it still works. The hip toss - and other throws like the soufflé, the bear hug, the lateral drop and the headlock - have been the go-to move for all five Hecox brothers, and three of them will put them to the postseason test at the same time beginning this weekend.

Sage, who was ranked No. 1 much of the season, has suffered both of his losses in the past two weeks, and was fourth in the latest illinoismatmen.com Class 3A state rankings. Kailor, who is 25-2 at 195 pounds was ranked fourth, and Jenner, who is 31-4 at 160, is ninth.

And it's no surprise when most of their wins come when they get a grip, lock in on the arm, and toss their opponent to the mat, quickly pouncing for the pin, or at least back points to build a fast lead.

"My kids have all known how to throw somebody to the mat at a very young age," said Don Hecox, the father of five boys and three girls who has used wrestling, home-schooling, and his church teachings as some of his primary parenting tools. "There are a lot of reasons, but I want my sons to know that even when there's three seconds left, they have that chance to throw somebody onto their back and get right back into it."

So, at a young age, all of the Hecox boys learned to wrestle, and learned to throw an opponent - and each other - whenever the opening arose. Sterling was the best at the hip toss, according to Don, but Sage has a chance to take it one step further over the next month.

And while Jenner has the largest arsenal of throws, Don said, Kailor has already proven he can use his effectively on the big stage. He locked in a hip toss and put the 16th-ranked, 195-pound wrestler in the country on his back early during his semifinal victory in the Dvorak meet in December, and went on to finish second in the prestigious tourney.

"Our dad taught us to throw early on, and I'm glad. We all like to use them," Kailor said. "It takes less energy, and you can just end a match quickly. It's all about finishing it off, and that's the best way to do it."

It doesn't always work. Sage can attest to that. His two defeats came at the hands of wrestlers ranked in the top three in the state, but he wrestled from behind both times, and was unable to latch in a hip toss or a throw to bring himself all the way back.

Still, Sage won't be deterred from his No. 1 goal of a state title. And he won't stop trying to bait his opponents into the now-famous "Hecox hip toss."

"Yeah, that's what they call it. Whatever they call it, as long as it gets me wins," Sage said. "I've got to use other things, too, but that's what's got me here. I know I'll find a way. I know I can do it.

"And right now, I just want to go all the way. If the hip toss or a throw gets me there, great."